Severed Bonds
by Blitz12
Summary: Being the unwanted child of the Emiya family, she desperately wants to reconnect with her family, that is until the coming of the 5th Holy Grail.
1. Chapter 1

Severed Bonds (Fate/Madoka crossover) part 1

It was unforeseen, as the machine that was Emiya Kiritsugu tried to process this new information. This information could have a direct impact on his future, a possible heir? Possibly? But the fact remained that his sexual desires had resulted in the birth of another child.

Knowing Hisau Maiya, as Kiritsugu knew, she would do anything for the man. If he had ordered the child be killed by her hand, she would do it. And it was at this moment, that Kiritsugu had to act, would he abort the baby and then focus back on the preparations of the 4th Grail War? Time was of the essence, and he knows that he also needed to handle Ilya as well.

Memories of his daughter, if he even had the right to call her by that, brought nothing but self disgust. The disgust from knowing the fact that he was going to sentence both his wife and perhaps her daughter to their deaths, as he pursued the goal of saving the world with the least amount of casualties.

It was already built into him, a scale of sorts, to allow him to analyse the best outcomes with the least expense. It was a form of Utilitarianism that was hardened through his own experience and from the expense of the blood of many others. So again, he was forced to think through…

_Just give the word, to get rid of the baby, and that was it_. He stared at his female assassin partner, who stared back at him emotionlessly, a facial expression much like his own.

"Maiya…"

He continued, this time, surprising himself, "Keep the baby, we'll deliver it now." Was God on the side of the unborn infant, whatever it was, Kiritsugu knew that his thought process surprised even himself. However, as the outcomes laid into mind inside his head, perhaps it would not end up too badly.

With the possibility of another child to take care of, he knew he had the option of leaving it was to leave it to the Einzbern head, and maybe they could take care of the child, much like they would care for Ilya. But Kiritsugu remembered, the Einzbern family were one of the 3 Ancient families that had helped to create the Holy Grail, and more than that, they were a proud family, they would not accept such an request, even if it is from their own trump card. They only had a deal, Kiritsugu would win the Grail for the honour of the Einzberns, and in return, they would allocate the resources to finding a suitable artifact to summon a worthy Servant.

Kiritsugu closed his eyes in thought, making his resolve, he headed to one of the doctors, one that he hoped would understand the circumstances. Personally, both giving birth or commencing with abortion may be risky for Maiya, and Kiritsugu knows just how important of an asset his partner was going to be, in the upcoming war, especially when one has to keep several steps above elite Magi.

With much negotiation, and asserting his position about the necessity to prevent any unfavourable circumstances, Kiritsugu told the medical staff of the Einzberns that his partner was pregnant and had to deliver the baby as soon as possible and to maximise safety for both the woman and the child.

The doctor nodded while briefing the Einzbern head about the circumstances. The head of the proud European family gestured with his hand, granting his position on the matter, he had allowed it but he looked into Kiritsugu's eyes. "I am not doing this for free, Emiya Kiritsugu. I want your mind to be fully focused on the matter, that is the only reason we hired you instead of creating another Artificial master like what we had done in the previous 3 wars. Do I make myself clear Magus Killer?"

That nickname came with the reputation alright. The said assassin kneeled on bended knee, "This much I swear, elder, as long as I am the Einzbern master, I will ensure nothing but complete victory for the family."

"This oath better come true, Magus Killer." Making his point, the elder returned back to his throne room, with his 2 Homunculi bodyguards.

The black haired man rose up from his stance and went to his own personal quarters, where a certain object served as the living testament of his sins. The object laid in front of him, this object was the first kill he had ever committed. The body of Emiya Noritaka, laid preserved through Magic and also using the Einzbern homunculi technology, leaving nothing but the majority of the Family Crest that Kiritsugu refused to take.

Every time Kiritsugu looked at the his dead father, it reinforced the belief that the massacre in his village should never be repeated EVER again, and to do so, he killed off many people, much like his father, or so he thought. Selfish mages, Ghouls, some innocent people that were caught in the misfire were his sacrifices in his path. All of their sacrifices were necessary in bringing such a perfect world.

That was, until he heard about the Holy Grail, the omniscient wish grantor, or at least that was what both the Einzbern family and the literature had talked about, and now with the Command seals on his right hand, it was proof that he was a participant.

"Mr. Emiya." The voice shook away his thoughts about the Holy Grail for now, the doctor already gathered the supplies for the Caesarian Section, Kiritsugu didn't pay much attention, afterall, he was already used to the sight of blood anyways…

When it came to the sight and smell of blood, he was used to it being spilled as lives were snuffed out, but it was a first time to see the sight of blood with the association of giving life.

"Ah, look, it's a girl! She looks so beautiful!" cried out a voice, it was a voice that anybody in the Einzbern castle would recognise, the white haired homunculus carried the baby from the surprised doctor, who was wondering why Maiya wasn't even showing the baby any affection and instead allowing a complete stranger to take her infant.

Irisviel held the baby girl up high. She observed the baby's appearance, her hair was the opposite of Illya's, it was black, carrying the hair colour of her parents and her eyes were also black, reminding Irisviel of her beloved husband's. In response to the homunculus smiling, the baby giggled and made noises while stretching her limbs. "Hah! She's an energetic one, maybe you get that from your parents." Irisviel turned to Maiya with her smile, the mother of the child looked at infant with a blank look. With a small bit of hesitation, Maiya picked up her infant for the first time. The baby remained as energetic as ever.

As for the mother of the infant, she had no idea what to do. All her life, she had known despair and at least in her heart, she carried little affection for anything in life. Excluding the ray of hope that is her savior from the battlefield, Emiya Kiritsugu. The most that Maiya could do is to consult that savior, hoping that he would help provide the answers that she needed.

Kiritsugu scooped up the child from Maiya's stretched hands, his mask already in place, he cuddled the child. Much like how one would rehearse a script, his acts of affection were mechanical. However, infants were extremely sensitive to the slightest of emotions.

The baby's giggles completely stopped, and turned into a sad frown. While the baby was silent, she knows that something is wrong with this man, or at least, she believes that this man was supposed to be her father. But the fact remains is that this child is already feeling like she was going to be abandoned?

When Irisviel sensed the change of emotions with the infant, she dragged Maiya and came closer with that wild grin on her face. Her positive atmosphere was contagious, enough for Kiritsugu's mask to melt slightly and turn his mechanical into one that is closer to affection that a baby would want.

"So, what name have you thought for the baby? Maiya?" The mother of the child shook her head, giving Irisviel the impression that she hasn't even thought of the possibility of giving her child a name yet because she was placing duty towards Kiritsugu above all else. With that, irisviel turned towards her husband, "What about you dear? Any ideas?"

"None, whatsoever." With that, Kiritsugu promptly walked outside of the room, whereas Maiya was completely silent while lying on the bed. This left Irisviel with the infant back to her arms. With her hands striking a thinking pose, an idea came to mind, thinking up of some Einzbern literature on poetry. "You have the spirit as strong as a burning fire, I will call you Homura, assuming my Japanese language is correct." With that, the baby started to giggle again. Irisviel continued to cradle the baby, "let me introduce you to Illya…"

But for Kiritsugu, he already thought about the possibilities that his own child, along with Ilya would either be left behind during the Grail War and it would be likely that this baby would be given up to adoption anyways. Either that option, or taking a chance to train the infant to be his successor. With a conflict as dangerous as the Holy Grail war, while he had still given the oath, there was still a possibility of failure and then who would take the reins of carrying out his dreams.

Luckily for the father, he still managed to dig out old documents and mission files regarding Natalia, the closest thing he had for a mother, at least it would help in educating the child, once she was of age of course. Sparing a glance at Maiya at the door, he gestured for her to enter the office and to discuss the future of her daughter.

…..

It was 6 years after the birth of Emiya Homura, and she has grown both physically and mentally. Although, one can say that her maturity surpasses those of the kids of her age, as she spent only a little time with her parents, thus having Irisviel filling in the void as a surrogate mother, and in her mind, she knew her blood parents were extremely busy. Other than that, she would often play with Illya, her sister.

The difference of blood made no difference to either Illya or Homura, as they played with each other in the snow. Illya, due to the age difference of 3 years above Homura, established the role as the friendly older sister character and the black haired girl would often follow suit.

"Ah, look there." Homura pointed to one of the trees, to a certain tree with branches, the white haired homunculus looked at where the finger was pointing to, and made a wide grin.

"That is a walnut tree, Kiritsugu played with me when I was smaller, when I think when you were a baby." As Illya took pride in her knowledge that Kiritsugu taught her when playing their family game.

"Oh, Father has played with you?" It was a curious question, it was a rare sight for Homura to see her father in such high spirits. She just assumed that Kiritsugu being with Illya gave him good memories. Homura only remembered that Kiritsugu only reserved when he was with Irisviel or when both of them were with Illya. In contrast, when Kiritsugu looked at her or her birth mother, his facial expression remained stoic_. Could it be that my father is refusing me, but why? _As Homura continued to think deeper into the matter, but no answer popped up.

"Homu-chan?" The nickname that Illya gave to Homura, she showed concern over why her younger sister was being quiet. But Illya picked up the fact that it was related to their mutual father, ever the positive thinker, Ilya patted Homura's back, "Then for the next time, you can join both Kiritsugu and I when we go Walnut tree hunting." Illya's nature was always like a light beacon for Homura, and It brought back the smile to her face.

A slight malicious idea just crossed Homura's mind as she continued to pretend to feel sad while scooping snow with her hands. As the concerned Illya came closer, Homura threw the formed snowball at her white haired sister and began to laugh as Illya got chucked at with snow.

" .ra…" The white haired homunculus started to emit a dark aura, with a dark grin of her own. "I will count to 3, Homu-chan, you may want to run before I bury you in snow ok?" With that cue, Homura immediately took off to evade the wrath of her older sister. Even though, Illya was serious in catching Homura to pay her back, it goes to show how strong the bonds are between the two girls. The two laughed as one chased the other, and the snow began to pour more heavily, but no amount of snow can bury the burning spirits of either Homura or Illya at that time.

In the keep, in his personal room, he took a seat, he began writing orders to his contacts in Fuyuki City in addition to Einzbern spies that he was lent for the preparation of the war. Fuyuki City was a large city, and thus setting a potential foothold is important to gain an advantage. Maiya told Kiritsugu that she would be leaving within the day to rent a potential hotel to act as a proxy base.

After his preparations, Kiritsugu walked over to the window where he could observe his daughters from atop the castle and sighed, "Those girls will not experience happiness in the future." He held his palm and covered his face in shame, regretting the fact that he cannot even provide a happy future as what a normal father would do. But, there is one thing to be sure, they would live in a world free of suffering as soon as he wins the Holy Grail, it was the only thing he could do for Illya, as she would lose her mother and for Homura, who Kiritsugu fully intended to welcome her with open hearts and resume what Natalia had intended for him in return.

In the end, he only played with Homura once, and that was only because Illya had begged Kiritsugu to play with her. It was also the first time that Homura had smiled back at him…

Even for Homura, her happiness was becoming short lived. She wasn't given the opportunity to see Illya often and the white haired Einzbern princess was often kept in Irisviel's room. The Elder had forbidden any "external" contact with others, other than Kiritsugu.

For many days, Homura was alone to read books in the Einzbern library. To be honest, nothing much caught her attention and she would rather enjoy the company of an another human being, or most preferably, with her sister Illya.

At night time, she sneaked outside of her room in an attempt to find Illya. But because of how large the castle was, and the interior could be compared to a labyrinth, it was no easy task.

After getting lost for about an hour, she practically lost hope and made to return back. It was easier to return to her room, considering that her room was practically on the other side of the castle where visitors DON'T get lost.

When walking back, she wasn't looking ahead of her and bumped headfirst into a person.

"Easy there, ah it's Homura, what are you doing here?" As always, the mother of Illya was smiling at Homura, and probably the closest to a mother that she could ever have hoped for.

Homura looked as though she had her hand in the cookie jar, and she fiddled her fingers. She wasn't going to lie, considering that Irisviel could see right through her and her dark side should remain concealed.

"I was looking for Illya, but I got lost." Homura answered truthfully as her face began turning red in embarrassment.

Irisviel looked affirmatively at Homura, she also understood her grandfather's orders about forbidding contact, but she also knew that Illya could use the company because Kiritsugu would be leaving for the Holy Grail War.

An idea came up for Irisviel, "wait here Homura, I would be right back" She had the grin of a prankster as she left for upstairs.

Homura became confused, what exactly is Illya's mother planning? After 3 minutes of waiting, Irisviel returned with a black dress? _And a hood? What's this?_ Homura's mind just jammed.

"To hide you silly!" Irisviel responded energetically, "It's night time, so if you wear black, then you won't be seen at all. And since I am a resident of this castle, I know where every room is, like if they were in the back of my palm."

The black haired girl silently nodded, it was both a smart and a dumb idea, smart because it uses the shadows to the maximum degree but dumb because it places both Irisviel and herself at risk if the Elder were to get word of this. But, it was too late to back out, the urge to see Illya was more important.

It didn't take too long at least for Homura, being concealed into a black dressware. But they managed to reach Illya's personal chambers. Irisviel waved away and stepped away to allow the sisters to share some private time.

Illya sat on her bed, her always eager nature was not present, she was looking outside with an unreadable expression, the only thing that slightly snapped her out was the incoming footsteps from the door.

"Homu-chan?" Illya questioned as she saw the black haired girl approach, and took off her heavy clothing revealing her dark haired sister underneath.

"Hey Illya, it's been awhile." Homura greeted, "I didn't get to play with you that much during this week. Are you busy?"

Illya frowned, "I was busy. Great Grandfather was busy lecturing me about the Einzbern family and it's history and about the pride that comes with it." She continued, "I hardly have the time to even talk with Kiritsugu. Great Grandfather says that I have to be worthy of being the next heir and that I don't have time to waste with unimportant matters."

Homura reacted, "Unimportant matters? You think I am unimportant?" Her smile turned into a frown.

Illya tried to reason with Homura, "Of course not, you are important to me, you are like my younger sister."

"I thought I am your younger sister…" The black haired girl looked down on the floor.

"Please, Homura. I know you are not happy. But I can't help it." Illya pleaded.

2 tears began to form and Homura made no attempt to stop her tears as they fell from the eyelids to the ground.

"I understand completely." Homura stepped up to leave towards Irisviel, who didn't dare to eavesdrop on the private conversation between the siblings.

Illya was hopeless to see her sister leave, "I will see you again for sure right?"

The response was, "I hope so…"

And so, the rift between the two was formed.

The day had finally come when Kiritsugu had summoned his Servant, he had been expecting the great King Arthur, but instead he got a blonde woman dressed in a male knight's armour. Even the great Kiritsugu failed to withhold his shock and have to add, slight disappointment.

"Who the hell are you?" The black haired assassin narrowed his eyes to a glare at his own Servant.

The response came back instantly and it was stoic, expected for a Servant who wanted to keep her composure after being regarded "differently" than a normal summon. "I am the Servant Saber, as you have summoned me, you are my Master."

Kiritsugu narrowed his eyes, "I see, Saber. And I assume you are the Legendary Arthur Pendragon?"

Saber nodded, "Yes, I am. Or rather you can call me Arturia Pendragon, I am the wielder of Excalibur and I promise you this, we will win the Holy Grail."

The master of Saber walked out of the summoning hall without a word.

"Wait, master!" The Blue clad king was about to follow her master until Irisviel held up her hand to stop her.

"Please, let him go, he needs time to process this information." Irisviel said calmly.

"And you are?" questioned Saber, and with her hand on the blade in case this is an enemy.

"Oh, forgive my manners, I am Irisviel von Einzbern, I come from the Einzbern family and the wife of Emiya Kiritsugu, who is your master."

With that, Saber released her hold immediately. "Forgive me milady, I do not mean to aim my sword at a family member of my Master. Please accept my forgiveness."

The homunculus smiled back, "No need to worry, there was no harm done. You have not deliberately attack me, and it can't be helped if you are in the midst of strangers."

Saber was about to berate herself again, when Irisviel cut her off, "Do you fancy some tea, my family has quite a large stock of various teas made in Europe?"

The blonde king replied, "Your generosity is very welcome."

Kiritsugu met with Illya one last time, and she became eager as she played counting the walnuts but her enthusiasm was not at it's peak as the guilt with Homura was still eating at her. And she cannot even bring out the subject to Kiritsugu or even to her Mom because it was something that she wanted to resolve with her own hands. She IS Homura's big sister and she would act the role.

Once Illyasviel builds up enough courage, then she would play with Homura all day long even if it disobeys her great grandfather, Homura's smile is much more important.

Illya climbed on Kiritsugu's back and laid there. It was warm, but she was sure that if Homura had joined her, it would be much warmer.

After playing with Illya, Kiritsugu called a meeting for Irisviel and Saber.

In here, they discussed their tactics and about using Irisviel to be the decoy master for Saber, to avoid other Masters from targeting Kiritsugu while giving the opportunity for him to remove his targets.

Saber was not really pleased with the arrangements at all.

"Why are you using Irisviel as a decoy? She would be helpless by herself!" Saber shouted.

"I am not isolating Iri at all, YOU, will accompany her as a bodyguard and as a Servant."

Kiritsugu knew where to hit, for the proud King of Knights and her code of chivalry, she would have no choice but to obey due to prioritising Irisviel's safety in the Holy Grail War.

The black man continued, "And besides, I am not the man that would go in head first encounters." He picked up the plane schedule for both Irisviel and for Saber, "I will arrive in Fuyuki City first with Maiya, and then you 2 would reach the location by a different airline. Maiya or myself would rendezvous with you later."

"As you wish Master," as Saber decided to avoid pursuing the issue.

"And the meeting is adjourned." Kiritsugu picked up his suitcase and left the 2 women to their business. And besides, there was one more additional matter to take care of before the Holy Grail War started.

The Magus Killer headed for Homura's room.

Homura was waiting in her room patiently, as she waited for something to happen.

The door opened, and her father stepped in, "Homura, pack your belongings, I am going to send you to the Fujimura household for the timebeing." The man looked at the room briefly before deciding to help, it was an abrupt call and at least Kiritsugu knew that Homura would need some assistance to pack up.

Clothing and necessities were packed along with an extra sleeping bag in case Homura needed one when staying at the different home.

When Homura was about to pack her last belonging (that she knows), Kiritsugu motioned for her to come to him.

"Yes?" Asked Homura, shyly as if she was about to brace for an unknown punishment.

"Although, I can't guarantee that I could be able to teach you after this 'business', so here's a small book, read it when you are at Fujimura and if you need information, do not hesitate to use the library." Kiritsugu had a somewhat sympathetic tone to Homura, but she was still curious about the contents of the book, if it were to be so important to be included in her luggage.

"The plane will leave soon, so bring your belongings to the car and we would hurry, Homura."

The girl nodded sadly, the chance to reconcile with Illya would not come.

She took slow steps, towards the exit of the room and then outside of the castle, with a heavy heart…

Illya finally clasped her fists in joy. She can't wait to meet with Homura again, and this time she would make things right and further establish that the older sister should care for the younger sister. Dressing up in a purple dress, she went to Homura's room, only to discover it was empty.

"Homura, where are you?"

The sight of practically nothing in the room was VERY suscipious, even for a 8 year old Homunculus.

She began to throw a tantrum, "Just when I was ready to apologise, you disappear on me Homura! Where are you?"

The family members would know, she stormed back to the Keep and going back to her mother's room. The smell of tea was nice inside, but that wasn't important to Illya right now.

The white haired girl stomped her feet, "Where is Homura? There is nobody there, and Kiritsugu is nowhere to be seen either!"

Irisviel looked confused and lowered the cup of tea, "Didn't Kiritsugu tell you? Homura is leaving, she is going to be staying with the Fujimura family for the timebeing." Surely, Irisviel would thought that Kiritsugu would at least tell Illya about where her sister had left, but with Illya demanding where Homura is, she guessed that her husband didn't tell Illya.

Illya dressed as quickly as she could and if she could run outside, maybe she could catch up to her sister and apologise. Her chest was beating very fast as she hurried to put on the boots, jacket and the hat.

The snowfall was still pretty light and the snow was not too deep, so therefore, Illya ran outside without slipping or sinking into the snow. She only caught a brief moment of Homura walking on the peak of a small hill.

"Homu-chan!" The voice echoed throughout the snow, with Illya hoping that it would reach her sister.

It did, as the black haired girl turned around to look at Illya in the face. It was a expression that displayed sorrow and loneliness. Homura waved back to the best of her ability before turning back and continued walking in Kiritsugu's direction.

The young homunculus saw her sister waving back at her, she waved back with a smile.

Once, Homura crossed the hill, Illya collapsed to the snow while crying out for Homura to come back.

Unfortunately, her cries went unheard…


	2. Chapter 2

_**Author's note: Well, here's chapter 2. And WAY behind schedule, if I were to say. But, I just returned from vacation and couldn't find myself motivation to continue and due to my first Beta/Co-writer being busy with his work. **_

_**Constructive criticism is VERY much appreciated. **_

_**I also want to thank **__**DarkMegaSF**__** for being my beta for this chapter. Without his help, the chapter probably wouldn't have been released. **_

Chapter 2

As Homura brought her luggage to the area where it would be brought to the plane, Homura can't let go of the fact that she was leaving "home." She still held some regrets for not reconciling the issue with her big sister, Ilya. But, Homura believed that there would be a fateful day when the two sisters will come back as one whole family, as it should have been.

The black haired girl quietly sat down beside her father. Taking a look outside, it was still snowing…The small flakes melted on the window and slowly it was beginning to pile up on buildings. In contrast to the cold weather, the snow brought back the warm, brief memories of playing snowball fighting or counting the walnut tree with her big sister.

Shifting her focus elsewhere other than regrets, the girl opened the book that Kiritsugu had given to her and when she packed it in personal carry on, the contents were…how could she describe it?

It wasn't natural, supernatural?

"Magic?" The lone word escaped from the girl's lips before she could retract it.

With that, her father mildly glared at her, silently telling her to put it away until she reached a more private location to continue reading. Even to the Magus Killer, the subject of magic was not something that should be brought to the eyes of the public as it would wreck the current balance as well as have the Mage's Association on everybody associated with him baring down on them like hounds.

But, that look was indeed scary. It was as if her father had the look of a killer, the cold eyes that would stay unmoving even if they catch the image of countless people drowning in death in their own blood.

15 seconds had passed, yet it felt like an hour to Homura and she didn't want to be subjected to "that" look any longer so she turned away from her father and closed the bag until either when she is about to sleep or somewhere in private.

Slumber didn't take long to reach Homura, and for the image of Ilya's smile mind to fade from her mind…

On the other hand, Ilya could not sleep after she walked back to the castle with a completely empty expression, her tears formed lines of frost that framed her face.

She once held the role of the big sister, and she had failed miserably.

The near empty room only served to make Ilya feel much colder than even the snow outside.

The homunculus could only hope that this was a nightmare that she could wake up from. Unfortunately, this was reality for her, therefore, she can't "wake" up from the present…

With the increasing sorrow, Ilya wanted to seek comfort of anybody, whether it was her mother or even that strange blond woman that somehow appeared several days before.

"Mommy…."

Silence….

"Where are you?"

Silence…

Unfortunately for Ilyasviel, her mother and Saber were already heading towards the exit of the castle, so her cries for her parent was unheard and there was nobody left to talk to inside the castle. The maids wouldn't be of use and she doesn't even want to see her grandfather's face at the moment because it was him that drew the wedge between the sisters.

_But it was completely my fault_, the dark voice echoed within the young girl's mind. _Had I paid attention to Homura and not abiding by his Einzbern superiority, I wouldstill have a close bond to Homura._

Ilya continued to weep in silence, and feeling completely depressed without a single happy thought.

Starting from this night forward, was when Ilya started to have nightmares.

Nightmares about her body turning into a Cup with 7 lumps supporting said artifact and then dying miserably, again, all alone in darkness.

Little did she know that it was to forecast the events to come…

14 hours on the plane is a LONG sleep for Homura and she struggled to sleep, it was frankly too boring and she was tempted to open that book again, it was a subject that interested her greatly.

What can she do with magic? The first thing that came to mind was using magic to earn the happiness that she deserved. Maybe if she became a master magus, then Kiritsugu would pay attention to her and treat her affectionately much like Kiritsugu treated Ilya.

From what she got from her father's reaction was that the subject of magic is secret and should be hidden from the public view.

But why should magic be a secret? If such power was given to everybody then it would bring eternal happiness and there would be no suffering in the world? That is, unless magic was flawed then?

Was it too early to worry about using magic? Homura wasn't even a magus yet and not even a beginner. Therefore, she should postpone the previous questions after educating herself on the topic first.

Looking back at Kiritsugu, Homura wondered, if her father was a magus, then what would he be doing with magic. Being his daughter did not reveal any more his mysterious character because he was either locked in his personal quarters with his mother 90 percent of the time while the other 10 percent was with Ilya, that 10 percent didn't seem to have anything supernatural.

"We are arriving in Fuyuki City, please remember to bring your luggage and your own personal belongings. We will not be responsible for any missing belongings."

That was the cue, both Homura and Kiritsugu released their safety fasteners and silently walked down the aisle.

Kiritsugu picked up his massive suitcases and Homura brought hers and they both called for a taxi.

The neighbouring city Misaki City was going to be the place where Homura was going to be dropped off, seeing as Fuyuki City would be the battlegrounds of the 4th Holy Grail war and therefore, Kiritsugu does not want his heir to be killed off in the crossfire between mages. He also believed that the other masters would also send their family members away.

The Magus Killer decided to use this information as an alternate plan. If he had the resources and the time, maybe he could send Maiya to investigate the family to explore the possibilities of using hostages if his targets were too difficult to eliminate in either a fight or an assassination.

His methods were distasteful, he admits that, but for the price to save the world. Surely, it was worth it. And after the war was won, there was a family to return back to with the exception of Irisviel, who he knows would have to die when the Grail is complete.

Focusing back on Homura, Misaki City was the neighbouring city of Fuyuki. He selected it because he had acquaintances there. And due to the long lasting friendship between them, they would not decline the offer to look after Homura for about a week.

….

The car ride took about an hour and a half from Fuyuki City. The destination was a Kendo dojo that belonged to a famous Yakuza family.

As the car parked outside the gate, both Emiyas stepped out of the car after Kiritsugu gave an extra tip to the fare that he was charged for the ride. Kiritsugu did not mind giving the extra money because he had the financial assistance of the Einzbern family, who were rich in wealth due to their alchemy.

The black haired man rung the doorbell once as Homura crept closer to her father's right leg, using one hand, the other holding the handle of the luggage.

A short moment ensued before a man in his mid 60s answered the door.

"Good morning to you Elder Fujimura," greeted the Emiya with a small smile.

"And to you too, Kiritsugu," as the elder smiled and shook the Magus Killer's hand.

The older man looked over to Homura, who then went closer to Kiritsugu's other leg, hoping to hide herself. Fujimura was laughing at the girl's actions.

"It seems like your daughter is afraid of me," Fujimura lowered himself to Homura's eye level and looked at her. "I am Come now, there is no need to fear me. Your father and I are very good friends."

Kiritsugu urged Homura politely to at least say hello. It seemed like he needs to address his daughter's shyness in the future, assuming he would make it through the war.

With as much effort she could muster, the girl SLOWLY stepped forward and weakly waved her hand.

The Fujimura head suppressed his laughter, "I think she will get along with Taiga-chan." He called for his granddaughter inside the dojo.

"Coming grandfather!" Called the energetic girl inside as she ran outside to greet the guests.

"Kiritsugu-san! Wh-what are you doing here?" as the young "tiger" lowered her head and blushed, it was not a shock that she displayed a small crush to the Emiya due to his mysterious nature. It also appeared that Taiga did not notice Homura yet.

The assassin smiled at Taiga, "Oh Taiga-chan, you grown much taller than the last time I saw you." He gently pushed Homura forward after she backed from the energetic girl's glance at her father.

The girl looked at the smaller girl and her eyes began to sparkle.

"She is SO CUTE! My name is Taiga Fujimura," as she caught Homura in a tight embrace.

"Eeek!" Homura shrieked briefly as she tried to squirm out of the older girl's grasp with no apparent success.

Kiritsugu lowered himself to Taiga, "Taiga-chan, I leave Homura to you and the other Fujimuras. Oh and please go easy on her. She is shy and fragile."

Taiga nodded vigorously, talking to her crush AND interacting with such a cute girl was like a dream come true for her.

Homura looked pleadingly at her father but he did not respond.

After a few minutes of talking with the Fujimura elder, Kiritsugu gave a quick hug but it was just a gesture to whisper into her ear.

"About that book, read it when everybody is asleep. Remember, I will be back from this War and together, we will be a family once more."

With Kiritsugu releasing his embrace, Homura looked up at her father's face with tears of happiness pouring from her eyes. She would have both her dreams come true, the first being the reconciliation with her sister and second, she would be accepted as part of Kiritsugu's family.

She held out her pinky finger. It was a gesture that Ilya made when the two made promises together.

Kiritsugu was surprised to see this from Homura, because it was something that he only secretly shared with Ilya.

Seeing this, he twirled his own finger with Homura's before going back to the taxi.

He remained silent during the whole journey.

"Homura-chan!" shouted the eager Taiga as she continued to glomp the unsuspecting girl.

"So, do you want to play with Onee-san?" as she sported a silly grin.

The daughter of the Magus Killer was starting to think through her options, although she believed that even if she declined her offer, it would only result in being dragged along to play with the older girl anyways.

Resigning to her fate, she sighed, "Yes."

The black haired girl, although her body was resisting being dragged, inwardly, she was having fun because the experience was similar to when she played with Ilya.

Being much younger than Taiga meant that she followed the pace of the older girl.

If it's Kendo practice, then she would quietly observe because Homura knew that she didn't have the physical strength to swing the shinai continuously.

If it's board games, well, luck seems to be on Taiga's side but at least she's humble enough not to rub it in her face.

The wind was getting stronger in the evening, and Homura assisted Taiga in closing the blinds.

Taiga brought Homura to the table for snacks and it was going to be her homemade recipe.

Homura was accustomed to eating various sweets because Ilya would bring various candies, cookies for her to eat. Therefore, she would be accustomed to almost any form of sweets.

But as for Taiga's homemade cookies, how could Homura describe it? In terms of appearance, they looked a bit lacking in terms of quality. But, it was too quick to judge it in terms of appearance, it could be the best cookies that she ever tasted right?

As soon as the dark haired girl took the first bite, she secretly regretted it.

First of all, the cookie was too soft, as though it was made from mud. It goes to show that either Taiga did not heat the oven hot enough or she didn't wait long enough.

Second, the taste, it was too bitter. Homura closed her eyes and swallowed with as much saliva she could gather in her mouth. _What ingredients did she use?!_

Taiga watched the younger girl swallow, completely unaware of Homura's suffering and continued to smile.

"I made these cookies for you. You were the first person that actually ate my cookies. Onee-san is so touched." The energetic girl wiped happy tears using her sleeve.

"Oh, if you were wondering, I used tofu for the base ingredients, flour and kiwis. What a masterpiece it turned out!"

Homura coughed as much as she could. From Taiga's description and Homura's own judgment, those ingredients WERE NOT SUPPOSED to be mixed together to form cookies, and kiwis? Why would she add a fruit to the mixture?

"Don't be shy, I made more for you!" as the young Fujimura brought them out.

Homura's eyes began to widen. Unfortunately, she lacked the confidence to reject Taiga, mostly falling victim under Fujimura's puppy eyes.

The Magus Killer's daughter felt her life slip again with each half-baked cookie she placed into her mouth under the watching gaze of the Fujimura Tiger…

Homura held her stomach as she vomited repeatedly into the toilet.

Impolite as it may be, her health mattered more than manners.

"Are you ok in there?" as Taiga began to worry as Homura's vomiting became louder.

Let it be known now that Fujimura still had no idea that it was the quality of the cookies that caused the girl's unfortunate circumstance, and thought the reason behind Homura's toilet trip was due to ingesting too much of her masterpieces without pause.

With the exception of the sound of vomiting, no form of vocal response was received by Taiga.

Once, she heard the toilet beginning to flush, and running tap water. Taiga waited eagerly at the door.

As soon as the door began to open, Homura slowly peeked out to see Taiga on the other side of the entrance. She shrinked back so that her head was barely visible.

Homura was now completely frightened of the older girl, despite the friendly introductions and the play time.

"Dinner is ready!" Called out the Fujimura elder from the kitchen.

Taking the chance, Homura rushed downstairs before Taiga could turn around from the voice.

…..

After finishing the meal, she asked to be excused from the table and settled into her new room, which fortunately was large enough for one person to sleep with complete privacy assuming that Taiga won't attack her during the night.

Taking out the secret book that was entrusted to her by her father, she continued reading the contents.

_**Magecraft.**_

The ability to transcend the normal laws in the world. It cannot be defined by science no matter how long it took.

Continuing from that, was a brief description on each type of magecraft,

Thaumaturgy, the ability to use one's own "prana" into transforming the external world.

Homura then looked upon the section on Magic Circuits, about how these were instrumental in holding and releasing prana from the body.

She felt heat increase within her body in an unnatural manner before it cooled down again.

Circuits?

She tried focusing again to bring out that sensation, she imagined several lines within her body fill with energy and they began heating up again.

Kiritsugu also wrote that if Homura wanted to start on her spells, she should start with the basics of Reinforcement.

Taking a piece of wood from the corner of the room, she tried to start reinforce the object.

"….." She didn't make any sound as she was confused and disappointed at what had happened.

The object that she reinforced twisted and curled unnaturally. The object was still reinforced, but it's structure was just wrong, _completely distorted_.

Uttering a sigh of disappointment, Homura is going to have to search for additional objects to practice on.

Yes, that's right. Practice would be the key to success.

Repeating the process for anything she found in the room from paper to pencils. She still failed each time. Homura failed to understand what she was doing wrong. But she noticed something about her surroundings, _how was she going to explain to the Fujimuras about the mess that she made?_

Sighing again, she tried to sneak into the hallway to find a small dustpan to clean the whole mess. It was going to be a LONG night.

During the last hours of the 4th Holy Grail War…

Kiritsugu killed the pleasant memories within him with his family as he choked the life of the imposter with his wife's face. Grief hit him like a tonne of bricks because it wasn't just an imposter. If the will of the Grail was telling the truth about using the personality of Irisviel and upholding her last wish, then it only served to reinforce the fact that he solely destroyed his family.

With both Ilya and Homura in mind, he walked up the stairs as he stared at the accursed Holy Grail, which moments ago had doused the whole area with black mud and melted through the floor.

His mind was clear about the Grail. There was only one thing to do.

Kiritsugu raised his hand and revealed his two remaining Command Seals; they glowed in anticipation to the Master's command.

The King of Knights knew she was fighting a losing battle, it was completely one-sided. The fact that Archer was toying with her infuriated her along with the fact that the Golden King degraded her status to a delusional woman with foolish ideals.

The ideals that she sought to uphold, her intentions to save her homeland and her oath to Lancelot that she would win the Grail. This servant, Archer, mocked them all and freely fired Noble Phantasms from his Gate of Babylon and only intending to maim her to see her expressions of pain.

She gritted her teeth in anger, was there nothing that she could do? Saber thought about using Excalibur to reverse the tides. She prayed to heavens that she could use the enemy's arrogance against him and take the time to charge her final attack.

But the pain was too great, and as soon as she stood up, a Noble Phantasm would knock her down again.

Saber also noticed Kiritsugu behind the Grail, and with the two Command Seals, she knows that this would be her last battle and salvation for Britain was just a matter of time!

Ripping the blade from her knee, she stood with vigor and awaited the command. Saber could disregard whatever differences that laid between her master and herself. What matters now was that Saber bestowed her last hope upon her master, hoping that whatever he had in mind would bring victory to them both. Anything was possible for a Command seal as they were crystalized miracles, and since Kiritsugu still had 2 remaining, victory could be grasped, even if that opponent was Archer.

"By the name of Emiya Kiritsugu, I order you with the Command Seal…"

_Give me the Holy Grail, _thought Saber as she drew Excalibur to a combat stance while barely remaining balanced on her feet due to her numerous wounds.

"…Use your Noble Phantasm and…."

It seemed like Archer was completely unaware of Kiritsugu was in the area, and Saber waited anxiously for the finishing order.

"…**destroy the Grail**."

The King of Knights was frozen, her mind cannot comprehend that command. But her Excalibur glowed yellow with power. Surely, Kiritsugu was mistaken, this was the HOLY GRAIL, the device to produce miracles.

"I will not!" Saber rebuked, hoping that her Magic Resistance would resist the command long enough for Kiritsugu to reconsider his order, if he had make a mistake.

Kiritsugu's response was that his last Command Seal was already glowing, which meant that Kiritsugu was about to give another order.

Even with her Magic Resistance going against the first command seal, her arms were already overhead to destroy the Grail that she longed to receive.

"By my last Command Seal Saber, destroy the Holy Grail." His voice hardened even more than the first command. Saber knew, the hope that she longed to have would be smashed in front of her. And the worst part was that she played the role in destroying her own form of redemption.

"NOOO!" Saber's magic resistance was futile against 2 command seals and the power of the Sword of Promised Victory engulfed the Cup.

Saber closed her eyes as tears mixed with blood, forming red streaks that poured down her face. She failed her oath…

To Lancelot….

To Britain…

And to Irisviel…

Her last thoughts revolved around her failure in understanding the hearts of her people and her failure to understand Kiritsugu who only ordered her three times throughout the entire war. With that, Saber used up all her prana and disappeared…

The Magus Killer turned away from the Cursed Cup as he turned away from his disappearing Servant. Reflecting on the blonde servant, he pitied her, she had no idea what the Grail compromised of, in fact, he felt like he did her a favour by not allowing her to win the artifact.

The Grail War was over, it was time to return to Ilya and for Homura.

"**It's not over yet Emiya Kiritsugu."**

A dark voice rang from the sky. It was filled with complete malice.

"**You had so much potential, in fact, like me, you were ready to shoulder the world's evils. You would be the PERFECT host for me."**

It continued, now with evil laughter, **"You decided to throw away your family and believed that by destroying the Grail, you had saved the world right?"**

The voice mocked Kiritsugu's final actions and as to finish the job, "**Look at the sky, Emiya Kiritsugu! Behold the fruits of your ideals!**"

The Magus Killer looked up to the sky, where the clouds were filled with a dark aura, with unnatural lightning and clouds. Something like rain began to pour before it gave away to the cause of the Great Fire.

"**One day, I will be born into this world!"**

After that sentence, a flood poured from the sky, it was not regular water, it was a cursed and black substance polluted with the World's evils.

The theater was the first area to be engulfed, the building started to burn with flame.

Kiritsugu headed up to the highest area to avoid the lava-like substance. He looked on in shock.

The black flood was reaching out in all directions, consuming everything in it's path.

Because it was extremely late at night, most of the citizens of Fuyuki City were sleeping. Therefore, they were completely helpless as the fire consumed them completely.

"No, this can't be." Kiritsugu looked at the scene with wide eyes. It was not supposed to end like this! Without a second thought, he leaped to the areas which were already drying out from the black mud.

I must save them, Kiritsugu decisively thought, it was the only thing left to do, the only motivation to force himself to salvage what was left in this massacre. He had failed to kill Shirley that fateful day and as a result, his home was destroyed.

And now, when he believed he had saved the world, he had caused a great fire that had killed countless people in their sleep.

His hands clawed through the burning rubble, his hands burning with the intense heat of the flames, only for Avalon to heal them up again but the conceptual weapon cannot remove the pain associated with it. Therefore, Kiritsugu was trapped in hell, the heat burning part of his trench coat but he wouldn't give up.

There MUST be a survivor! Anyone is fine!

The buildup of ash was also starting to affect his eyesight, he could hardly see anything that was beyond 2 meters.

A lone boy was walking through the flames, his body just kept moving like a machine.

He covered his ears as cries of help from the few that were unfortunate to be awake during the whole disaster.

The youth walked onward, without a destination, he just had to get out of the area.

His legs were beginning to give in, he fell to the hard floor, with his eyes looking up above the stars. He reached out his right hand to grasp the sky as though inviting the heavens to receive him.

He could feel his heart beat slowing down, he did not have long to live.

The boy's hand began to lower, and his strength was disappearing.

"You're alive!" A man had grasped the boy's hand and repeated the phrase as though he were praying and to bring the boy back to the brink.

The man was clinging to the boy like a lifeline and he held it with both his hands.

Tears poured from the man's eyes, and the boy was completely confused of why the man was so happy to save him. The boy looked at the man's face, 'even though I am on the brink of death, the man was so grateful that he could save at least one person that it made me jealous.'

"Thank you." The man said as he continued to cry.

The former Magus Killer, once infamous from taking the lives of countless magi, felt that for the first time that he had saved himself by saving another life.

On that day, one boy was saved while a dozen others were sent to a living hell…

Kirei also searched upon the ruins for survivors, but the reason behind it was much more devious than his rival. If Kiritsugu was aiming to save a child, then the natural response would be to "save" the children for the next Grail War.

If there were any survivors that was.

Gilgamesh walked behind Kirei, observing the surroundings of a fiery hell with an arrogant smirk.

"Kirei, what are your plans right now?" Seeing the priest looking through burning houses was very "unlike" the current him.

"You exhausted much of your prana in the Grail War, so therefore, we would need to find a way to replenish what you have lost. Through the available survivors that is."

His instincts helped point him to a basement of a burning home.

Opening the door, he found a single girl.

But what surprised him was her expression was much like his own, it was a void. Completely empty.

It reminded Kirei of himself.

Smirking, he took the child's hand.

"Girl, what is your name?" And the girl opened her mouth to respond…

Homura looked from the balcony from the neighbouring Misaki city. She looked at the smoke that rose from the remains of Fuyuki City.

She held her hand close to her chest and prayed, "Father, please come home safely."

"Homura-chan! Go back to bed." As a tired Fujimura rubbed her eyes.

"In a moment," the daughter of the Magus Killer continued to watch the decreasing vapours.

_Ilya, if our father comes back, will we live with each other again like old times?_ Wondered the black haired girl.

Unfortunately, there was no sleep for the girl as she kept wondering about the safety of her family.

2 days after the Great Fuyuki fire, with Homura gluing her eyes to the television, any news was welcome to her. Her heart sank when the reporter stated that there was deemed to be no survivors of the city and that the inferno had raged when most of the city's citizens were asleep.

In terms of her magecraft, she has managed to improve a bit. Her Reinforcement wasn't as bad as before. But no matter what she had done, there was always a bit of her magic that didn't seem right.

The structure of the object was strengthened as intended, but parts of it was weakened or at least had a twisted appearance. It was a mistake that Homura couldn't comprehend the reason why. That was why when her father returned, she wanted to ask him face to face.

That was, assuming that he was still alive. Homura had frowned again.

Taiga patted Homura on the head. "There is no need to worry. Kiritsugu-san is INVINCIBLE, because he is a hero of justice!"

Homura turned her head, "a hero of justice?"

"Yea!" as the eager Fujimura raised her fist, "And besides, from what I have heard, Kiritsugu has never broken a promise."

That would be reassuring, but Homura was not as optimistic as either Ilya or Taiga, there would always be room for doubt in her.

Seeing that Homura wasn't smiling, the older girl guided her back to the table.

"Come on, have a snack." Taking cookies from the oven, Homura already feared the worst. She instantly sprang up and hid behind the door. There was NO way she would want to die before meeting up with her family again. It was also a surprise how Homura managed to survive these days with the Fujimura family.

"Homura, come back down and eat!" called out the eager Tiger to find her prey. Closing the door, and running back to her room, she tried to find a hiding place. Any place was fine. Under the bed? No, too easy. Closet? Too cramped. Her own luggage? Doubt she would fit.

She was sweating in fear, her time was up.

Cornered, she backed up to the wall, closed her eyes and awaited her fate.

"Homura….I know you're in there….*knock*. Hold on. I'll be back for you Homura-chan."

Homura breathed out softly, she was spared for now.

"Kiritsugu-san! You're back!"

As soon as she heard her father's name, she dashed out of the room and ran down the stairs. She stopped when she saw that her father was holding a boy's hand.

Her shyness kicked in, and she held her distance. She was never good with socialising with strangers, and with the opposite gender for that manner.

The red haired boy looked around his surroundings before setting his eyes onto to Homura.

His expression was empty, devoid of emotion. No happiness or sorrow was displayed in those features, it was eerie for Homura because it reflected the same expressions of her father before the war.

Kiritsugu stepped forward to Homura with an unreadable expression that it unnerved Homura more than her other interactions with her father.

Without a word, Kiritsugu wrapped Homura in a tight embrace with silent tears pouring from his eyes. "I was a bad father, I can never ask for forgiveness for what I have done. I never gave you the love that a father should give to his daughter." (Author's additional note: Kiritsugu also decided to kill Homura with Maiya in the Grail induced dream)

It was the first time Homura felt loved by her father.

What should she do? Release the frustration and jealousy about being the neglected child of both her parents. As a child, does she have the right to lecture her parents?

Without much thinking, she too began tearing up. No longer jealous of Ilya being the only child being loved, and she knew that from this day forward, she would be part of a warm and loving family.

"It's okay father." Her tears soaking the weary and torn trench coat that belonged to Kiritsugu.

"I know that everything is fine. And there is no need to say sorry." Homura looked at Kiritsugu with a smile.

"Thank you Homura, your forgiveness is more than I can ever ask for." As the former Magus Killer separated himself from his daughter.

Keeping a gentle but sad smile, he turned to Shirou and mentioned him to come closer.

Slightly softening his expression, Shirou came closer beside Kiritsugu and facing Homura.

Kiritsugu took a small moment to breathe in, "Homura, this boy is Emiya Shirou. From today onwards, he will be your older brother."

_But I already have Ilya as a sister_, was the first thought that rang in Homura's mind and she wasn't really up to the challenge of having another sibling.

Seeing that his daughter was uneasy, he patted her on the head, "It will be fine. You will have lots of fun with Shirou. Please get along with him. He has nobody left, and no place called home." Sadly said Kiritsugu and a dark voice rang in his head, _**and it's all your fault Kiritsugu**_.

The young Emiya male didn't rebuke or acknowledge the statement, considering the fact that the fire had consumed everything that was "him" before the fire. For all that mattered to him now, the Emiyas are his family.

He looked over to his new sister, and knew that as the older brother, he had to look after her.

His sister approached him and stopped in front of his face.

"I…I am Emiya Homu…Homura." She had stuttered very badly. It was still a habit for the girl because she was still unused to social interaction with strangers, which could be traced back to the Einzbern castle in which she was isolated or with Ilya.

Slightly shaking, the black haired girl took up one of Shirou's hands with both of her own and tried to smile with all her might, "Then I guess you are the older brother." She was surprised that she didn't stutter at all with the last statement.

However, she was still not completely accepting Shirou yet due to the possibility that this may betray Ilya.

Sensing his sister's hesitation, and regaining some life back in his eyes. Shirou clasped his other hand on top of Homura's hands.

He slowly spoke, "Yes, I am. I hope we can take care of each other, Homura."

The former Magus Killer smiled at the fact that the children had at least taken the first time to getting to know each other. Yes, there was one more thing to accomplish…

That is, to find a way to reclaim Ilya to become a complete family.

Taking each of his children's hands, he turned outside. "Homura, Shirou, it's time to go home."

End chapter 2

Additional note: Chapter 3 will revolve around Shirou's interactions with Homura…


End file.
